Finally, the LP gets my viewpoint...

Took a while, but the Libertarian Party is finally able to articulate my view on the gay marriage argument I've been saying for years now.   You don't have to be FOR or AGAINST the government allowing gay marriage, you have to get government OUT of it.  :)  We're so worried about forcing people to live the way we live, because our way is "right" and they're "wrong"...that's not freedom.   That's slavery.

America’s third largest party Monday praised officials in Iowa, Vermont and the District of Columbia for taking recent steps toward marriage equality, and urged legislators in all states to scrap government licensing, taxation and regulation of marriage.

“The government’s power to define marriage has historically been used as a tool to retaliate against minority groups, and the right to marry is the newest frontier of civil rights.  Libertarians everywhere applaud this advancement of civil rights, but warn the only way to guarantee true marriage equality is to get government out of the question entirely,” said Catherine Sumner, LBGT policy advisor for the Libertarian National Committee.

“Removing government from the equation entirely allows gay and lesbian couples to enter into the same legal agreements and arrangement as heterosexual couples, and it would allow individuals and businesses to decide for themselves who to grant the benefits of marriage to,” said Sumner.  “No individual, straight, gay or lesbian, should be forced to accept someone else’s definition of marriage.”

Few and far between...

Amazing what being a father does to your time-management skills.  :)   Some new photos on the left from the holidays, and I'll leave you with this ridiculousness:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal anti-terror law that requires longshoremen, truckers and others to submit to criminal background checks has ensnared another class of transportation worker -- mule drivers.

Yes, so-called mule skinners -- in this case, seasonal workers who dress in colonial garb at a historical park in Easton, Pa. -- must apply for biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC), according to the Transportation Security Administration, which says it is bound by federal law.

The requirement has officials of the Hugh Moore Historical Park perplexed. "We have one boat. It's pulled by two mules. On a good day they might go 2 miles per hour," said Sarah B. Hays, the park's director of operations.

The park's two-mile canal does not pass any military bases, nuclear power plants or other sensitive facilities. And, park officials say, the mules could be considered weapons of mass destruction only if they were aimed at something resembling food.

Tom Cruise, eat your heart out...

Don't look nervous at the airport, or anything....

Several Israeli-based technology companies are developing detection systems that pick up signs of emotional strain -- a psychological red flag that a passenger may intend to commit an act of terror. Speedier and less intrusive than metal detectors, these systems may eventually restore some efficiency to the airplane boarding process.

...developers say the combination of these technologies can detect a person's reaction to certain stimuli by reading body temperature, heart rate and respiration -- signals a terrorist unwittingly emits before he plans to commit an attack.

...so i can't help thinking, reality-meets-fiction-yet-again.  Didn't "Minority Report" just come out only a few years ago, and "pre-crime" was a "futuristic" idea?  I guess I need to stay out of airports soon.    "Hey, I didn't DO anything yet."  "Well, you THOUGHT about blowing up the White House".  "Asshat...I'm a libertarian...I think that every damn day."   :)

The "right" of marriage? Not in at least 3 states.

Irony:  As of 1961, there were 16 states with anti-interracial laws still on the books.  Two people who wouldn't have been allowed to marry back then (in those states) are the parents of the man now elected to run the country.  So now, the gay community sees it all over again.  California, Florida, and Arizona voters decide to tell people how they can love each other.  Watch as Keith Olbermann gives an emotional defense.

While I believe marriage is not a "right" from a libertarian perspective, the government should be out of marriages completely, and only recognizing all as "civil unions" for tax/property purposes if necessary.  The question is not "should gays be allowed to marry?", but "why should ANYONE ask permission of the government to marry?".  That's the only way I see this resolved.  I didn't want to apply for a marriage license....it's a contract between two consenting adults; the government is merely an intruding third party.

How's that cabinet coming along?

Just because Bush is on the way out, I've still got to beat on the establishment.  :) Still think we have a free country?  Check back in 4 more years. From an excerpt from Obama's pick for chief-of-staff, Rahm Emanual's book, "The Plan: Big Ideas for America":

"Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They'll be asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack; how to assist others in an evacuation; how to respond when a levee breaks or we're hit by a natural disaster. These young people will be available to address their communities' most pressing needs."

Think that's just a scary future?  We're laying the groundwork now.  A blurb from Obama's new "Change.gov" website as he prepares for office:

"Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free. "

IT'S NOT FREE.  YOU JUST WORKED 100 HOURS FOR IT DUMMY.  That's $40 bucks an hour, not bad, but still...the school kids get ZILCH for theirs.  My children will learn to volunteer because they want to do the right thing, not because someone mandates it.

Post-election musings...

OBAMA FOR TEH CRUSHING WIN.  Well, we'll have to see how the next 4 years goes now.  I wish him the best of luck in fixing this country, but it's a tall order, one that "more government" will not likely help.  Still, I'm looking forward to critiquing a President more engaging than a stick of celery. 

Post-campaign revelations from a Newsweek project they've been doing since 1984 with an internal team following the campaigns, only disclosing the day after polls close.  I'm gonna have fun with the new guy, heh:

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, "I don't consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."

Politics and black holes....they both SUCK.

If you're worried that the government now owns your house (ok, ok..only true for 50% of America...not me, I've been able to build a life without the help of Uncle Sam, thanks)....have no fear.   We'll all die in the coming months as the earth collapses into itself. 

"Although physicists acknowledge that the collider could, in theory, create small black holes, they say they do not pose any risk. A study released Friday by CERN scientists explains that any black hole created would be tiny, and would not have enough energy to stick around very long before dissolving."

Penn Jillette on leaders...

We don't need great leaders...that's exactly what screws over Americans, power in the hands of someone with ambition to "fix it all".  Bush may be stupid, but Obama is not, and handing the reins of power to him just might be worse in the long run.  Penn Jillett expounds:

"I don't want anyone as president who promises to take care of me. I may be stupid, but I want a chance to try to be a grown-up and take care of my family. Freedom means the freedom to be stupid, and that's what I want. I don't want anyone to feel my pain or tell me to ask what we can do for our country, or give us all money and take care of us.

...I think Ron Paul and Bob Barr mean it when they say they want much smaller government. But the government is already big enough, powerful enough and bipartisan enough (and "bi" means exactly two and no more) that Ron and/or Bob won't even be in the debates. People won't even hear someone suggesting that our president should do less and individual citizens should do more for themselves.

The choice shouldn't be which lesser of two evils should have the enormous power of our modern presidents. The question should be, who would do less as president? Who would leave us alone? "

Waiting, waiting...

Well, updates around here might be thin for a while. Waiting for the new addition to the family, so we'll see how much time I get to post stuff. Check back for pics of the new baby and stuff....they're typically posted on the right under 'latest photos', or on the Picasa albums, under 'Photos' on the left navigation.

As to politics? Sarah Palin...meh. Some people say McCain just killed his campaign picking an inexperienced "nobody"....although I have to say she's more libertarian than any of the other guys in either the blue or red camp. I suppose I could hope for McCain to win and then die? :) Of course, when you get into that position of power...things tend to change. Suddenly you can make the world better, if people would JUST see it YOUR way. "Let them eat cake." "But sir, the peasants don't want cake." "CAKE OR DEATH?" Ah, nice choice you've given me.

See the problem? Much as I would like, I can never enter politics. My first act after winning an election would be to absolve my position and make the government smaller by one person. :)

Memorable quotes...

Currently in my email signature, I'll post them here so they stick around for a while... :)

"There is no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is to crack down on criminals. When there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking the law. Create a nation of lawbreakers and then you can cash in on the guilt."
-Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"

"No party holds the privilege of dictating to me how I shall vote. If loyalty to party is a form of patriotism, I am no patriot. If there is any valuable difference between a monarchist and an American, it lies in the theory that the American can decide for himself what is patriotic and what isn’t. I claim that difference. I am the only person in the sixty millions that is privileged to dictate my patriotism."
-Mark Twain